Amusement apparatus called indian trip.



B. F. VAN KANNEL.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS CALLED INDIAN TRIP.

APPLIOATION TILED MAY 23, 1911.

1 ,021 ,019, Patented Mar.26, 1912.

3 8HBETSSHEBT 1.

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B. F. VAN KANNEL.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS CALLED INDIAN TRIP. APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1911.

1,021,01 9. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

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B. F. VAN KANNEL.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS CALLED INDIAN TRIP.

APPLICATION TILED MAY 23, 1911. 1 1 ,021 ,01 9. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 BHEETS-BHEBT 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

BENJAMIN F. VAN KANNEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS CALLED INDIAN TRIP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. VAN KANNEL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at 519 West One Hundred and Fortyfirst street, NewYork, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus Called Indian Trip,fully described and represented in the following specification and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to a device in which balls are thrown by theplayers for the length of a ball-alley, against a hinged target, for thepurpose of dropping a seat upon which a. performer sits. Such hingedtarget is connected with mechanism which causes the seat to drop and theperformer to fall into a tank containing water, a cushion, straw, orother means for relieving the concussion of the fall. The player in suchcase pays so much per ball for the privilege of throwing at the target,with the chance of hitting the same to cause the fall of the performer.

The invention consists in the various de tails of construction hereindescribed and set forth in the claims. 1

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ball-alley havingtwo of the seats arranged over tanks therein; Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the apparatus with the nearer wall of the ball-alley removed; Fig. 3is aplan of the post carrying the hinged seat and the target-fixtures todrop the seat; and

I Fig. 4 is an elevation of the post showing the target connections tothe trip-rod to drop the seat.

a designates the side-walls of the ballalley, and b a counter at one endof the alley to carry the balls I) for the player. At the opposite endof the alley two tanks 0 are jected from the inner sides of the poststoward one another. The plank e is hinged to Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed May 23, 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Serial No. 629,015.

the front side of a cleat f upon the post (Z and has at its outer end astrip f to support the free end of the plank e hinged to the post (7 Atoggle-brace g is shown connecting the bottom of the plank c with thenearer side of the post, and a drop-rod h is extended from one arm ofthe toggle-brace and provided on its outer end with a button it throughthe post to its outer side. Upon such outer side, a bearing i issecured, and a toggle-spindle is journaled therein and provided with atarget-arm 7:: having a small circular ring Z upon its end to which alarger disk m of flexible material is secured to form the visibletarget.

A crank 7' extends from the target-spindle to the end of the trip-rod71. with which it is connected by an eye Icfitted looselytotherod l1beneath the button it, so that a blow upon the target gives a jerk tothe trip-rod and bendsthe toggle-brace sufficiently to drop the plank e,the plank a falling also at the same time. The cleat f holds the seatwhen thus dropped sufficiently clear of the post for the toggle to foldbetween the seat and post.

\Vhen a player throws a ball at the target and hits the edge of thesame, it merely bends and allows the ball to pass, only such balls asstrike the smaller ring Z upon the target-arm causing the fall of theoperator from the seat 6.

The tank is shown with a cushion 'm/ therein to break the fall of theperformer when dropped from the seat.

In alleys where a ball is thrown toward a target, as in the presentconstruction, it has been found that the screen placed behind the targetto arrest the ball is rapidly worn out and involves considerable expensefor renewal, and a special construction of screen is therefore providedin the present invention, such construction being shown in Figs. 1 and 2where the entire back of the ballalley is covered with a coarse wirenetting n,

as poultry netting, to prevent the loss of any balls, and sections 0 ofmuch stronger wire nett ng as No. 14 wire and one inch and a .half mesh)are secured to the same behind each target and covered with a canvas orduck facing 72. Such strong wire netting is found to wear much longer ifsecured to the framing n by its edges only, leaving its middle entirelyyielding and elastic, and the duck is found to wear better if attachedto the net at its upper edges only and the lower edge provided withmeans, as the rings q, the screweyes r and cords s, for tightening itfrom time to time as it becomes loosened by wear. The elasticity of suchcombined wire and canvas screen prevents it from tearing and enables itto resist wear for a long time, and such canvas, and also the strongwire netting behind it, are renewable at a very slight expense whenworn, on account of their small size.

The framing n for the strong wire netting is shown at the right handside of Fig. 1, where the bottom of the canvas is shown loosened andcurled upwardly to expose such netting 0. The present improvementsproduce a very durable and efficient construc tion for such an amusementapparatus.

A semi-circular, netting d is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 extended from theposts 611 a? in front of the seat e, to protect the performer from theball.

The tank 0 is commonly made of sheetmetal and to prevent injury to theperformer, if accidentally falling against the top edge of the tank, ahose 0 is split open upon one side and fitted over the top edgeof thetank and serves to protect the performer fully in case of a fall againstsuch edge.

To avoid obscuring the parts at the right hand end of Fig. 2, the wirenetting which forms the side-wall a is shown only at the left hand endof such side-wall; and in order to fully expose the support for theseat, the semi-circular netting (Z is omitted from the posts d, d at theleft side of Fig. 1.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what is claimed hereinis:

1. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a ball-alley, of aseat near one end of the alley, a toggle-brace arranged to support thesame, and a target with connection to such toggle-brace to drop the seatwhen the target is hit.

2. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a post, of a seatprojected transverse to the line of view at one side of the post, atarget projected transverse to the line of view at the opposite side ofthe post, and a toggle-brace arranged to support the seat, withconnection to the target for dropping the seat when the target is hit.

3. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a post, of a seatprojected transverse to the line of view at one side of the post, acleat beneath the seatwith hinge connecting the seat upon the forwardside of the cleat, a toggle connecting the post and seat and adapted tofold under the cleat, a target projected from the opposite side of thepost and a connection from the target to the toggle-brace to drop theseat.

4. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a post, of a seatprojected at one side of the same, a toggle-brace connecting the underside of the seat with the side of the post, a trip-rod extended from thetoggle-brace through the post, a bearing for a target-arm upon theopposite side of the post with a target having its arm hinged thereinand a.crank-connection to the said trip-rod, whereby a blow upon thetarget starts the bending of the toggle and causes the dropping of theseat.

5. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a post, of a seatprojected at one side of the same, a toggle-brace connecting the underside of the seat with the side of the post, a trip-rod extended from thetoggle-brace through the post, and provided with a button upon its end,a vertical bearing for a target-arm upon the opposite side of the postwith a target-spindle journaled therein andhaving an arm with a targetthereon, and a crank with loose eye embracing the trip-rod beneath thebutt-on, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In an amusement apparatus having a seat with a target-arm andmechanism for dropping the seat when the target-arm is moved, thecombination, with said targetarm, of a rigid ring to receive the impact,and a flexible disk larger than the ring secured thereto to form avisible target.

7. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a ball-alley, of atank having yielding material in the bottom, a post carrying a hingedseat above said tank, a toggle-brace for supporting the seat upon thepost, and a target with connection to such toggle-brace to drop the seatwhen the target is hit.

8. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a ball-alley, of atank with posts at opposite sides of the same, one of the posts carryinga hinged seat above said tank, an arched screen attached to the posts toprotect the performer on the seat, a tar get projected from the outerside of the post and means for dropping the seat when the target is hit.

9. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, with a ball-alley and apost having a seat hinged upon one side, with a target hinged upon theopposite side and means for dropping the seat when the target is hit, ofa ball-screen in the rear of the target, consisting of a section ofstrong wire netting secured by its edges only, a canvas of the target,consisting of a screen of strong Wire netting with a renewable coveringof canvas.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing 15 facing for the same secured by its upper edge and meansfor tightening its free lower edge.

10. In an amusement apparatus, the combination, With a ball-alley and apost having a seat hinged upon one side with a target Witnesses.

hinged upon the opposite side and means for BENJAMIN F. VAN KANNEL.dropping the seat When the target is hit, WVitnesses:

of a Wire net extended behind the entire ap- L. LEE,

paratus and a special ball-screen in the rear THOMAS S. CRANE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

